


the line where sky meets sea

by SkyRose



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Feels, Ficlet, Gen, Mermaid Moana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 05:17:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17698373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyRose/pseuds/SkyRose
Summary: In the hidden cavern full of ships, Moana finds a tapestry that tells a story she’s only seen in her dreams.





	the line where sky meets sea

**Author's Note:**

> For fandom weekly's challenge "Long Shot".

The grand ships and drums were almost too magnificent that she missed it. A large tapestry stretched along the rocky walls. Worn and damp from decades of moisture traversing along its cloth. 

It told an unbelievable story. A woman stood on an island cliff, holding a familiar green stone. She leapt into the sky before diving done towards the ocean. In midair, her legs transformed into a fishtail. 

Moana knew it was a fable passed down by generations. It was not real, yet it still entranced her. 

〰️

On her deathbed, Tala made no mentions of women’s legs turning into fishtails. She told Moana to take a boat and restore the heart. The ocean had chosen Moana to sail its seas.

And yet…

Unprompted, Tala spoke, “You know who you are.”

Moana clutched her grandmother’s necklace, wondering if she had imagined the look in Tala’s eyes.

〰️

Moana had another memory from her childhood. 

The first was the one where the ocean chose her and she found the heart.

The second was a dream. She was so sure if it. 

But she had thought the first to be a dream too.

She was young child toddling along the shore. Again, the ocean surrounded her. It did not give her a gift. It revealed a myth. 

A mermaid. She had dark curly hair and tanned skin like Moana. Her tail was yellow with geometric designs like the ceremonial tattoos of her people. She smiled at young Moana. Moana had smiled back.

It was a dream. It had to be. Tala would have told her…

〰️

Moana stared down into the depths of the water. She could see the smallest glimmer of green. Moana’s heart sunk in her chest like Te Fiti’s. 

She knew she couldn’t swim to it. She would drown. With a heavy heart, she picked up her oar. Her arms moved to plunge it into the waters, but she hesitated. 

She remembered her dream, the tapestry, and Tala’s last words to her.

_ You know who you are. _

Moana threw down her oar before stepping into the ocean. The water lifted her high into the sky, well above the sail of her boat. A failed dive from the height could injure her and Moana knew little of diving. 

It was an insane long shot. Moana could be getting her hopes for nothing. It really could have been a dream, the tapestry a fairytale, and Tala’s words misconstrued.

A warm breeze flowed around Moana. It was like an encouraging embrace. Moana took a deep breath before proclaiming, “I am Moana!” She leapt from the tower the ocean had created for her. The air whizzed past her at increasingly frightening speeds. She stuck her arms out in front of her, preparing for her landing. Moana’s legs began to tickle as if they were falling asleep. Soon enough, she couldn’t feel them at all. 

Before Moana could open her eyes to look back, she plunged into the ocean. The water surrounded her and she opened her eyes. She spun around to find an orange fishtail where her legs once were. 

Moana was a mermaid.

She let out a celebratory yell and watched as the bubbles floated to the surface. She breathed in water. It filtered through her lungs, just as refreshing as air. 

Her tail moved smoothly through the water as she swam down to the ocean floor. She reached into the sand, pulling up the glowing heart of Te Fiti. 

When she resurfaced, Moana set the heart onto her boat. There, she found someone standing on its planks.

Tala, a transparent blue, smiled down at her granddaughter. “Oh, Moana! I should have told you a long time ago.”

Moana couldn’t contain the grin she had for her grandmother. “You knew this whole time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tala bent down to caress Moana’s cheek. “Because I knew you had it in you to figure it out yourself, with a little guidance.” 

Moana didn’t get a chance to say anything else to her grandmother. She faded away. It was time for Moana to complete her journey and save her island.


End file.
